Dishwashing machine



April 16, 1940. J. M. M-URPHY 2 ,197,382

msavmsnme MACHINE Filed Fe 15, 1938 s Sheets-Sme t 1 guvlm'rol W April16, 1940. J. M. M uRP HY 2,197,382

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 1938 SSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 1940.J. M. MURPHY nlsawAsnma MACHINE Filed; Feb. 15, 1938 s Sheets8heet s m"P l b." "H 1 I E l I II n - INVENTOR 9 a KffORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 16, 1940 PATENT- oar-ice 2,191.38: msnwasnnve mournsJoseph M. Murphy, New one-fourth to Eugene York, N. Y., assignmof V.Myers, Eastorange,

.N. 1., and Louis E. Giles, New York, N. r. Application February 15,-19:3, Serial No. 190.537

This invention relates to improvements in machines for washing dishes orthe like.

An important object of the invention is to provide, in dishwashingmachines, a water supply system arranged to deliver and spray hot waterforcibly upon dishes or the like at such high pressures and in such finestreams that the quantity of water used in a complete washing operationmay be sufficiently low that water need not be repeatedly used and thatthe cost of the water used and of the energy used to heat the water,nevertheless, may be greatly minimized, thereby rendering such a deviceeconomically practical. Such repeated use of water defeats the veryobjectives of a washing machine and the present invention avoids suchrepeated use, while deriving economical operation, by scientificallycontrolling the delivery ofonly a moderate supply of water in eachwashing cycle.

A further object of the invention is the provi-" sion, in dishwashingmachines, of means for antomatically measuring a charge of ,soap or thelike and distributing such a measured charge substantially evenly intowater being pumped to the dishes during a first part of a completewashing cycle. -A still further object of the invention is theprovisionof means whereby, upon the washing machine being set into operation, thewater supply is automatically turned on, a. soap supply is automaticallymeasured accurately and distributed evenly into the water supply duringa first part of a washing cycle in order to deliver soapy water, suchsoap supply being automatically cut off in the beginning of a-latterpart of a washing cycle whereby to deliver thereafter a supply of clearrinse water, and wherein the device is automatically brought to a stopafter a predetermined duration of the washing cycle when by experienceit would be known that the washing of the dishes has been efiectivelycompleted. These and further objects, which will be' apparent from thefollowing specification, are achieved by my invention as shown, forillustrative purposes, in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1is a schematic representation of the invention, some parts being shownin elevation, others in cross section, and still others being showndiagrammatically. I

Fig. 1a is a perspective'view of one form of a complete washing machineaccording to the in vention, the door being partly open to partly showthe interior of the device. a Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional viewextending from side to side of a dishwashing machine illustrat-' ing asuitable arrangement of the various com ponent parts thereof within asuitable casing.

' Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in elevation and partly in section, ofreduction gearing and a soap measuring or dispensing device and a switchand valve cam connected to said gearing, the section being substantiallyon the lines 3-3 of Figs. 2 and 4.

- Fig. 4 is a top view, partly in elevation and partly in section, ofthe parts shown in Fig. 3, the section being substantially on the'linesH of Fig. 3..

Fig. 5 is a diametrical sectional view of a rotary sliding vane waterpump as employed in my invention,.the section being substantially on theline 5-5 of Fig. 6, most of the component parts of the pump, at thatline, however, actually appearing in elevation.

Fig. 6 is a further sectional view of said water pump substantially onthe line Gi of Fig. 5.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2,the

washing of dishes or the like is accomplished inthe present invention bysubjectingthem to numerous whirling jets or sprays of'hotwater at highpressure in a washing chamber! I, to which water is pumped throughbranch pipe lines I! and I3 by a suitable water pump it in a trunk pipeline l5, which derives its supply of water from a conduit it connectedto a public water supply or 30 other suitable source of supply.Connected between the trunk pipe line I! and the conduit l0, is awater-heating tank II for heating the water to a desired temperature. Ashut-off valve Ila is provided in the conduit lito permit the water tobe shut off when the device is not in use.

The wash chamber II is preferably drumshaped and is provided with anopening I. at the front thereof which opening may be closed by a roundedslide door II. The branch pipe lines 40 I2 and I; are provided withsuitable fittings which may preferably extend centrally through the topand bottom of the wash "chamber Ii toconvey water into rotatable spraytubes 2|! and 2| which are pivotally mounted within the said wash cham-,ber upon rotative joints 2! and 23, respectively.

The 'upper joint 22, also, is preferably adapted to 1 serve as a pivotmounting for the door IS, the top of the latter being extended inwardlyfor this The rotativ'e joints 22 and 13 are preferably ball-bearingjoints or areotherwise adapted to permit easy rotation of the spraytubes 2. and 2| about a vertical axis. The upper spray tube 20 isprovided'with a series of smalloriflces 2| ar- 5 ranged along oppositelower sides of the opposite arms of the spray tube, the orifices beingso positioned that they direct jets of hot water angularly downwardly,the back pressure of water being ejected from the opposite arms of saidtube operating, in a manner which is commonly understood, to cause rapidrotation of said spray tube.

The lower spray tube 2| is preferably similar to the said upper tube,the jets from the former, however, being directed upwardly. Thus the tworapidly revolving spray tubes 20 and 2| direct jets toward each otherupon dishes or the like disposed between said tubes whereby to subjectsaid dishes to the full cleansing effect of said jets. Although onespray tube alone could be quite effectively used within my invention,the combined and opposing action of jets from two such tubes ispreferred.

A removable basket 25, preferably formed of non-corrosive wire or ofother suitable structure may be filled with dishes or the likeexteriorly of the device and may then be passed into the wash chamber l|through the opening I8 and rested upon one or more supports 26. It willbe seen that, with the illustrated arrangement, the basket with thedishes therein may be disposed intermediate the two spray tubes 20 and2| whereby the dishes may be subjected to the action of the jets of hotwater from the spray tubes 20 and 2| in the manner already described.The water is thrown forcibly upon all sides of the dishes, after whichit gravitates to the bottom of the wash chamber, then passes through astrainer 21 into a sump 28 thence into a trap 29, from which it iscarried off by a waste pipe 30. The strainer 21 is adapted to preventthe passage into the waste line of sizeable food particles which mightstop up the waste pipe.

The water heating tank I1 is preferably provided with an electricresistance heating unit 3|, a substantial portion of which extends intothe interior of the tank and is immersed in the water therein. Oppositepoles of the heating unit extend to the exterior of the tank and areconnected to a suitable source of electric energy. A thermostaticelement 32'extends into the water in the upper area of the tank I! andpasses to the exterior of the tank where it coacts with athermostatically controlled electric switch 33 which is suitablyconnected to the electric leads supplying energy to the heating unit 3|whereby to en r i e and de-energize said unit as the temperature of thewater in the tank goes below or above a desired temperature which in thepresent apparatus should preferably be about 180 F. Unheated water, fromthe conduit I6, enters the bottom of the tank l1 and heated water passesout at the top thereof into the trunk line l5. Y Means are provided .fordispensing a charge of soap or other detergent material and forcing suchcharge evenly into water being pumped to the wash "chamber ll during afirst part of a washing cycle of operation and for discontinuing thesupply of soap during a latter part of the cycle so that clear rinsewater is then delivered to the dishes to complete the cleansing thereof.A soap measuring cylinder 34 is connected through a pipe 35 to a soaptank 36 or other suitable source of supply of soap, which shouldpreferably be in liquid. form so that it may readily pass through theapparatus in the manner hereinafter described.

The tank 36 may be disposed at a higher level than the measuringcylinder 34 so that gravity.

may assist the passage of the soap into said cylinder, although, as willhereinafter appear, the said cylinder may be charged with soap withoutany aid from the force of gravity. The cylinder 34 is connected to thewater trunk line l5 by the pipe 31 and check valves 38 and 39 areprovided in the pipes 35 and 31, respectively, to assure auni-directional flow of soap therethrough into the trunk line l5.

A piston 40 is reciprocated within the cylinder 34 by a crank 4| whichis connected to the said piston by a connecting rod 42. The crank 4| isfixed upon and rotates with a countershaft 43 which is connected toshaft 44 of a motor 45, through worm gears 46, 41, 48, 49. The saidgears, as best seen in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, are preferably arrangedin two sets, each constituting a worm and worm wheel, thus affording twospeed reduction stages whereby to effect a substantial reduction in thespeed of shaft 43 relatively to motor shaft 44, the speed reductionbetween said shafts being, preferably, about 600 to 1, although thereduction may be subject to substantial variation.

It will be seen that on the upstroke of the piston 40,-check-valve 38closes and check-valve 7 of the cylinder 34, through the pipe 31 intothe water trunk line I5.

The countershaft 43, in addition to controlling the delivery of soapinto the water trunk line 5, also actuates a valve which controls thepassage of water through said trunk line.

The said valve is opened and closed respectively by the inward andoutward movement of a plunger 5| which may be urged to and normally heldin an outermost position wherein the valve is closed, by a suitablespring (not shown). A lever 52, having an intermediate portion which maypress the plunger inwardly to open the valve. may be provided at one endwith a roller 53 which rides upon a circumferential cam surface of acam, wheel 54 keyed to the counter-shaft 43, and the said lever 52 maybe pivoted at its other end upon a bracket 55 which may be mounted uponthe body of the valve 50.

The water pump l4, preferably of the rotary sliding vane type, ispreferably directly driven by the motor 46 through the medium of a pumpshaft 56 suitably coupled to shaft 44 of the motor.

The shaft 56 as best understood from Figs. 5

and 6, extends through a stuffing box, 51 into a pump chamber 53 andterminates at its inner end in a suitable bearing or recess 59. Waterfrom the pipe l5 may enter the pump chamber 53 through a port 60. Thechamber 53 is substantially drum-shaped, and water entering said chamberis forced to pass from the point of its entrance to -the said chamber toa discharge port 6| by means of a rotary ring 62 of substantially thesame axial diameter as the chamber 56, which ring is caused to move in acircular orbit around and in contact with the interior slot 88 in thepump casing.v The said slot is located between the ports 68 and 8| sothat as the ring 62 moves in its orbit, the vane 88 substantiallyprevents passage of fluid from the port 68 to the port 8| except inadvance of the said ring, and as the latter is in'constant contact withthe circular wall and both side walls I of the pump chamber 58 and asthe vane 64 is in intimate engagement with both side walls of -saidchamber, the fluid is forced positively through the pump whence itpasses through the port 6|, thence it continues through trunk line l5into the branch pipe lines I! and I3 and into the spray tubes 28 and 2|.

The orifices. 24 in the said spray tubes have a collective area which ispreferably substantially less than the area of the trunk line l5 at thepoint where the latter receives fluid discharged from the pump, andhence it is apparent that very substantial pressure may be establishedin the spray tubes 28 and 2| and that such fluid would therefore beejected through the small orifices 24 in extremely fine jets and at veryhigh velocity, so that such jets may impinge upon dishes or otherarticles being washed, with sufficient force that such articles may bethoroughly cleansed during a relatively short washing operation.

The motor 45, which may be an electric motor means for effecting suchcontrol are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 and may comprise relayapparatus 81, as indicated within the broken line enclosure, suitablyconnected to the motor and also to a momentary contact starting switch68 associated with the door l9 and a momentary contact starting switch69 associated with the cam wheel 54.

The relay apparatus 81 and the several switches referred tomay be of aconventional type and therefore are disclosed and described hereinprimarily with reference to their mode of operation and withoutreference to their actual design or arrangement of parts. This beingunderstood, adouble-acting contact member 10 is normally held, by atension spring H; in engagement with and electrically connectingcontacts 12 and 13. The contact 12 is connected through a conductor 14'to one of two main leads, in-- dicated in the drawing as the pdsitivelead 15, carrying electric current from a suitable source of supply ofelectric energy. The contact 13 is connected by a conductor 15 to oneend of the coil of a circuit closing solenoid I8 and the other .end ofthe latters coil is connected through conmember carried thereby willactuate the said,

switch when the door is closed thus momentarily energizing the solenoid18 which moves the contact member 18 into engagement with contactsstarting the motor.

through conductor as which is connected to mainlead I9, thus completingthe motor circuit.

Inasmuch as the solenoid I5 is only momen- I tarilyenergized to move thecontact member 18 into. engagement with the contacts 8| and 82 to closethe motor circuit, a locking arrangementis provided for preventing theretm'n of the contact member 18 to its normal position in response tothe pull exerted on it by the tension spring II.

i hold the member 18 in engagement with contacts 8| and 82. The latterarm of the bell-crank lever 81 is disposed within the field of a releasesolenoid 90 so that when the latter is energized the bell-crank will beoperated and will withdraw the latch 86 from engagement with the lug10a, whereupon the'latter will be drawn by the spring H but ofengagement with the contacts 8| .and 82, thus breaking the motorcircuit.

The coil of the release solenoid 98 is connected with the main lead 15through conductors 83 and 84 and contact member I8, hence, it will beseen that said solenoid may only be energized when the motor circuit isclosed. The other end of the coil of said solenoid is connected throughconductors 9| and 92 and stopping switch 89 to main lead 19. The switch89 is arranged to be operated by a pin 93 on the cam wheel 54 at the endof a complete revolution of said wheel whereby to momentarily energizethe solenoid 88 and release the latch 86, thus permitting the contactmember III to be moved out of engagement with the contacts 8| and 82,thereby breaking the motor circuit and stopping the apparatus.

, The operation of the device may best beunderstood by reference toFig. 1. Assuming that the door I9 is-open and that all the parts are inthe positions shown in said figure and that the energizing the solenoid18 which draws the contact member 10 into engagement with contacts 8|and 82, thus closing the motor circuit and H tion of thecountershafhtheroller 53, which has been resting in a recess inthe circumferentialsurface of the cam wheel '54 is forced outof said recess by the rotationof the cam wheel, thereby actuating the lever 52 and pressing theplunger 5| of the valve 58 inwardly to open the latter.

only momentarily washing cycle.

Upon commencement of the rotation of the countershaft 43, the piston 40of the soap dispenser starts to descend from its initial uppermostposition and forces soap from the cylinder 34 through the open checkvalve 39 and the pipe 31 into the trunk line l5. The soap thus passedinto the trunk line had, during a latter part of a previous cycle ofoperation, been drawn into the cylinder 34 from the tank 36. The 10check valve 38 is held closed and the check valve 39 held open duringthe downstroke of the piston 40 as a result of the pressure set up inthe cylinder 34 in a manner which is well understood.

15 During the downstroke of the piston 40 the passage of soap into thetrunk'line l5 has been substantially regular, such regularity beingassured because of the fact that the passage of soap is positivelycontrolled by the descent of 20 said piston. When the piston 40 reachesits lowermost position, one-half of a washing cycle has been completedand during that half cycle there has been an even 'merging of soap withclear water to form soapy water which has been 25 pumped through thetrunk line l5 into the spray tubes 20 and 2| being ejected from orifices24 in the latter in jets of high velocity which impingeupon the disheswith great force, the spray tubes meanwhile revolving rapidly wherebysuch 30 jets are thrown upwardly and downwardly in all directions toassure that all parts of the dishes the piston 40 of the soap dispenseris .moving 1 upwardly creating a suction in the cylinder 34 whichsuction closes the check valve 39, and opens the check valve 38,whereupon soap is drawn from the soaptank 36 into said cylinder so thatsuch soap may be available for the next In the meantime no soap is beingdelivered to the trunk line [5 and hence the water passing therethroughand being ejected from the spray tubes is clear water which operates tovery effectively rinse the dishes.

45 When the piston 40 reaches its uppermost position, corresponding tothe end of a washing cycle, the roller 53 again drops into the recess inthe circumferential cam surface of the cam wheel 54, whereupon the lever52 is again actu- 50 ated to close the valve 50 and automatically cutoffthe delivery of water to the wash chamber. At the same time the pin 33on the said cam wheel engages and closes the stop switch 69, thusenergizing the solenoid 9] and operating the 55 bell-crank lever 8] andthe latch 36 to release the contact member 10 from its engagement withthe contacts BI and 82, thus breaking the motor circuit andautomatically stopping the operation of the apparatus.

60 This invention; by employing fine jets of' water at very highvelocity, uses aminimum quantity of water and renders it economicallypractical to heat such moderate quantity of water and to avoid the veryobjectionable re-use of it. Hot

5 'water,.being more effective for cleansing purposes than cold water,contributes to the efl'ectiveness of the relatively small quantity ofwatg used.

-In short, economical usage of water makes it feasible to heat it anduse it only once and the 7 fact that it is heated minimizes the'quantity of water required for each. washing cycle.

The pump and other apparatus already deseribedare prefe designed andarranged use about six quarts of water for each washing 7 cycle. Thewater heating tank l1 may preferably be of about three gallon capacityso that each washing cycle uses only about one-half the capacity of thetank and the temperature of the water in the tank may be restored by theheating apparatus, already descnibed, during the 5 period between eachwashing cycle. A motor is preferred having a speed of approximately 1800revolutions per minute and the reduction between the motor shaft 44 andthe countershaft 43 should preferably be about 600 to 1'. Thus, 10 eachrevolution of the countershaft would correspond to one washing cycle,and the time dura tion of each washing cycle would beapproximatelytwenty seconds, during which period the dishes should be effectivelywashed.

By using water, in this apparatus, at a temperature of approximately 180F., substantial drying of the dishes is effected when the door is openedupon the completion of a washing cycle, this being occasioned by thevery sudden drop of about 110 F. between the water temperature and theapproximate room temperature, which sudden drop causes any moisture onthe dishes to very rapidly evaporate.

The foregoing description ofthe invention and the particular apparatusdisclosed in the accompanying drawings are set forth only for thepurposeof illustrating the invention and its operation. It should,therefore, be understood that many variations may be employed in acomplete washing machine or in the'parts thereof without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:'

1. The combination, in a dishwashing machine or the like, of a mainconduit adapted to to be washed, a valve in said main conduit adapted tocontrol the passage of water there- 40 through, an auxiliary; conduitadapted to pass soap or the like from a separate source of supply intosaid main conduit, a pump in said auxiliary' conduit, adapted tofacilitate the movement of such soap or the like through said auxiliaryconduit into the said main conduit, and means, common to both said pumpand valve for driving the pump and for opening and closing the valve,the said valve and pump being constrained by said common means tooperate in timed relationship wherein the valve opens upon thecommencement of a cycle of operation and closes upon the termination ofsuch a cycle, and the pump moves the soap or the like through saidauxiliary conduit into water passing through said main conduit onlyduringa first part'of such cycle. 2. The combination,- in a dishwashingmachine or the like, of a main conduit adapted to pass water from a.source of water supply to a discharge point proximate to dishes or thelike. to be washed, a valve in said main conduit adapted to control thepassage of water therethrough, an auxiliary; conduit adapted to passsoap or the like from a separate source of supply into said mainconduit, areclprocating-piston pump in said auxiliary conduit, adaptedto facilitate the movement of such soap or the like through saidauxiliary conduit into the said main conduit, and means common'to bothsaid pump 70 and said valve for-driving the former and for opening andclosing the latter, the-said common means being adapted to open andclose said valve at the commencement and termination respectively of awashing cycle, and being further adapted'to impart a force stroke tosaid pump during a first part of such washing cycle whereby to forcesoap or the like out of said pump; toward said main .conduit, and toimpart a return stroke to said pump during a later part of such washingcycle whereby to move soap or the like from such soap supply into saidpump.

3. The combination, in a dishwashing machine or the like, of a mainconduit adapted to pass water from a source of water supply to adischarge point proximate to dishes or the like to be washed, a valve insaid main conduit adapted to control the passage of water therethrough,an auxiliary conduit adapted to pass soap or the like from a separatesource of supply into said main conduit, a reciprocating-piston pump insaid auxiliary conduit, adapted to facilitate the movement of such soapor the like through said auxiliary conduit into the pump and operatingsaid valve in timed relationship, said means comprising a motor-drivenshaft, a. cam turned by said shaft, a valve operating member actuated bysaid cam, and a crank turned by said shaft and connected to the pistonof said pump, the said cam and said crank being so mounted upon saidshaft that the valve opens and closes at the beginning and endrespectively of a cycle of operation coinciding with one revolution ofsaid shaft, and that the piston of said pump commences a force stroke atthe beginning of such a cycle and terminates a return stroke at the endof such a cycle.

4. The combination, in a dishwashing machine or the like, of a mainconduit adapted to pass water from a source of water supply to adischarge point proximate to dishes or the like to be washed, acontinuous-delivery pump in said main conduit adapted to facilitate themovement of water therethrough toward said discharge point, an auxiliaryconduit adapted to pass soap or the like from a separate source ofsupply into said main conduit, an intermittent-delivery pump in saidauxiliary conduit, adapted to facilitate the movement of. such soap orthe like through said auxiliary conduit into the said main conduit,driving means for driving both said pumps; and means for controllingsaid driving nieans whereby to start said first-mentioned pump at thebeginning of a washing cycle and to'stop it at the end of such cycle,the said second-mentioned pump being adapted to substantially facilitatethe movement of soap or the like intermittently through said auxiliaryconduit into the said main conduit. 7

5. The combination, according to claim 4, further characterlzed'in thatthe said driving means comprises a motor, and the'said controlling meanscomprises a switch adapted to control the supply of energy to said motorand a switch ac- /tuating member driven by said motor and adapted toopen said switch at the end of such. a washing cycle whereby to stopsaid motor and both said pumps.

3;. 'The combination, according to claim 4, further characterized inthat the said intermittentdelivery pump is a reciprocating-pistonpumpsaid main conduit, and means for driving said by during an early part ofa washing cycle, coinciding with one revolution of said low-speed shaft,the piston of said latter pump executes a force stroke, and during alater part of such cycle the said piston executes a return stroke.

7, The combination, in a dishwashing machine or the like, of a mainconduit adapted to pass water from a source of water supply to adischarge point proximate to dishes or the like to 'be washed, a pump insaid main conduit, adapted to facilitate the movement of watertherethrough toward said discharge point, a valve in said main conduit,adapted to control the passage of water therethrough, an auxiliaryconduit adapted to pass soap or the like from a separate source ofsupply into said main conduit, a pump in said auxiliary conduit, adaptedto facilitate the movement of such soap or the like through saidauxiliary conduit into said main conduit, means commonto both said pumpsand said valve for driving both said pumps and for opening said valveupon the commencement of a cycle of operation and closing said valveupon the terminationoi such a cycle, the said pumps'and the valve beingconstrained by said common means to operate in timed relationshipwherein watermay pass through said main con-' duit toward said dischargepoint continuously during the entire period of such cycle and soap orthe like may substantially move through said auxiliary conduit intowater passing through said main conduit, only during a first part ofsuch cycle. I

8. The combination, in a dishwashing machine or the like, of a mainconduit adapted to pass water from a source of water supply to adischarge point proximate to dishesv or the like to be washed, acontinuous-delivery pump in said main conduit, adapted to facilitate theI main conduit, and means for driving said pumps and operating saidvalve in timed relationship,

said means comprising a high-speed rotatable shaft, adapted to drivesaid continuous-delivery pump, a low-speed rotatable shaft, connectedthrough reduction gearing .to said high-speed in shaft and adapted todrive said intermittent-delivery pump and to open and close said valve,the said low-speed shaft being adapted to coact with the latter pump andwith said" valve in'such manner that thelatter' is opened and closed atthe beginning and end respectively of a washing cycle, and'that thelatter pump substantially moves soap or the like through saidauxiliaryconduit into water passing through said main conduit only during anearly part of such a washing-cycle. e

9. The combination, according to claim 8, characterized in that the saidintermittent-delivery pump is a reciprocating-piston pump, and the atethe latter, the said crank and cam being so connected to said low-speedshaftthat the said valve is opened and closed at the be inning and 7 endrespectively of a washing cycle, coinciding with one revolution of saidlow-speed shaft, and that the piston of said pump executes a forcestroke during an early part of such washing cycle and a return strokeduring a later part of such cycle.

. 10. The combination, according to claim 8, characterized in that thesaid intermittent-delivery pump is a reciprocating-piston pump, and thelow-speed shaft has acrank, adapted to turn therewith, connected to thepiston of said latter pump and a cam, adapted to turn therewith,coacting with a part of said valve whereby to operate the latter, thesaid crank and cam being so connected to said low-speed shaft thatcontrol the supply 01' energy to said motor, and

a switch actuating member carried by said lowspeed shaft and adapted toopen said switch at the end of a washing cycle whereby to stop saidmotor and both said pumps. V

- JOSEPH M.

